Dullahan
Dullahans are one of the more rare subspecies of Undead. A form of "high" undead, they are often considered to be rivals of liches or vampires in power, though Dullahans traditionally focus more upon martial prowess than magical capabilities or guile. Most are created from the bodies of warriors, but not always. The unifying trait of this undead species is that all of them were, at one point, brutally decapitated with a more-or-less clean cut, setting the stage for their animation. Appearance Dullahans can vary dramatically in appearance depending on the state of their bodies at the time of animation; some are little more than skeletal, whilst others have bodies that are, by and large, well-preserved and can pass for living with a little work. The common thread is that Dullahans were decapitated, so their heads are, indeed, removable, and, traditionally, will not stay attached. Some Dullahans, realizing how headlessness is unnerving for other creatures, use magical or mechanical means to ensure their heads stay attached; Princess Liliath Anagazzner, for example, uses an elaborate locking metal collar that allows her to more-or-less permanently attach her head to her neck. Dullahans traditionally are made from older individuals, though younger Dullahans are not unheard of. To date, the only Dullahans encountered have been from the Human and Demi-Human races, though Dullahans of Elven and Orc descent are known to have existed due to historical records. Noteworthy Attributes The most notable trait of the Dullahan is the unusual and bizarre abilities given to it by its headless state, which make it monumentally tough to kill. Due to a process not quite understood, the Dullahan's body and head both work like two parts of a Lich's phylactery; so long as the Dullahan's head is detached, the body is extremely resistant to physical damage. In this fashion, the head is vulnerable (even though it can fly under its own power), and if overcome in combat, the body immediately becomes vulnerable to attack. If the head remains attached, the Dullahan is vulnerable to attack, but fortifies itself continually with magical energy, resulting in rapid healing. The only way to destroy a Dullahan is to destroy its head, then attack its body before it can properly invest a new head. Suffice to say, most Dullahans expecting to enter heavy combat entrust their real head to an ally or minion before battle. A Dullahan can detach the head of a deceased creature and attach it to the stump of its own neck, temporarily gaining the attached Head's form and abilities. This emulation is not total; inherent supernatural, magic, or psionic abilities do not function and the Dullahan does not gain any of the attached head's memories or abilities. Almost any common race's form can be assumed in this fashion, even if it's one entirely different in size or shape to the original. The one limitation seems to be that only heads of the same gender can be properly used. The head also must have been dead less than 24 hours, and if removed, any natural ravages of time that occurred with the other head attached set in immediately, often rendering the head unusable. Liliath was able to develop a process of carefully preserving heads with necromantic rituals and alchemical preservatives, resulting in heads that remain, in essence, always usable. If a Dullahan loses its original head, its body becomes vulnerable, but it is not necessarily defeated. Given time, if it can find a suitable head to replace it, a Dullahan can keep it attached, eventually causing its "borrowed" head to assume the appearance and abilities of the original head over the course of two months. Some Dullahans suffer psychosis due to attaching new heads in this fashion and may adopt personality traits or emotional states from the original owner of the attached head in such a circumstance. As a "high" undead, lesser undead, such as Zombies or Skeletons that aren't Feral or intelligent, obey their commands, making them useful as field officers of such forces. Origin Dullahans are normally created in a lengthy, painful, and disturbing ritual in which an individual to be turned into one is decapitated via a Guillotine or Axe. Some necromancers, in Fontraile's dark history, were fond of using this method to create Dullahans to create powerful undead bodyguards. The expensive requirements for the ritual mean it is seldom used. Occasionally, individuals who have been decapitated under the pall of the De Midian Shadow may perodically spontaneously rise as Dullahans. Only two individuals are known to have done so: Princess Liliath of Verata and Charlotte Aiven, an investigator working for De Midian's ruling council. Culture As Undead, Dullahans have no culture to speak of. They exist in a mimicry of their lives beforehand, trying to figure out their own path now that they're immortal (in a sense). Some Dullahans enjoy their celebrity status on some level or another; Liliath, for example, is known to use her position as a very prominent Dullahan to assist those who have recently become undead themselves.